Daddy's Little Princess
by Light-Eco-Sage
Summary: Kya most certainly had her father wrapped around her finger, and she knew it too, even as a three year old. A series of one-shots revolving around Aang and his daughter, Kya.
1. Tea Party

**Daddy's Little Princess**

**By: Light-Eco-Sage**

**Rated: K+ for some romance (Kataang).**

**Summary: Kya most certainly had her father wrapped around her finger, and she knew it too, even as a three year old. A series of one-shots revolving around Aang and his daughter, Kya.**

**Disclaimer: **_**Avatar: The Last Airbender**_** and **_**The Legend of Korra**_** belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Nickelodeon, and Viacom.**

**LES: This story comes from my personal headcanon that Kya was most certainly Daddy's Little Girl. If you are expecting a serious plot, then you have come to the wrong story. Only lightheartedness can be found here!**

**Chapter I: Tea Party**

* * *

It was a sight that stopped Sokka dead in his tracks, utterly unable to move and do anything except stare at the horror… the travesty that was occurring right in front of him.

It almost didn't register in his mind. He could clearly see what was happening in front of him, but he refused to believe it.

Aang… Avatar Aang, the savior of the whole world, one of the founders of the United Republic of Nations, the most powerful being in the world, and his brother-in-law; was sitting at a little kiddie table in his daughter's room, in a small chair that was way too small for him and his long legs, wearing a violently pink feather boa around his neck, was accepting a cup of make-believe tea from his young daughter who 'poured' it from her little kiddie tea set given to her from great-uncle Iroh.

Kya, his three year old niece, was of course expected to play tea party. She was a little girl, after all. But Sokka had only ever seen Katara playing tea party with her daughter. This was the first time he'd ever seen Aang do it.

He couldn't help but wonder what people would think of him if they knew that he was currently surrounded by a multitude of stuff animals and wearing that offensively pink feather boa. Probably that he had lost his damn mind.

Aang, however, didn't seem to be put off or embarrassed in the slightest. He glanced up at Sokka, smiling brightly at him. If one thing about Aang never changed, it would be his unnatural ability to be happy nearly all the time. "Oh, hello, Sokka!" He said.

Kya grinned up at him, looking just like Katara did at her age. "Unca Sokka!" She squealed.

Despite himself, Sokka smiled fondly at her. She was a girl and was, therefore, forgiven for being girly. Aang had no such excuse. "Hey there, squirt. Do you mind if I borrow your daddy for a minute?" He asked.

"Okay." Kya said, still grinning. "But come back soon for cookies, Daddy!" She indicated an empty plate where the 'cookies' were.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart." Aang told her fondly, kissing the top of her head and heading after Sokka out of the room. Once they were in a different room, Aang spoke. "What do you want, Sokka? Is there more problems with the Council…?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Sokka said, shaking his head. "I just wanted to know if you've lost every ounce of your male pride."

"What?" Aang asked, confused.

In response, Sokka reached out and pulled the boa off his neck, holding the violently pink thing under Aang's nose so that his eyes had to cross to see it. "Look, Aang, I know that my sister has you pretty whipped and that Kya is your daughter and all, but that doesn't mean that you have to lower yourself to play tea party. That's what mothers are for."

"Katara's busy right now." Aang said, taking the boa back from Sokka. "Besides, I don't mind playing with her. She _is_ my daughter."

Sokka sighed hopelessly. Aang had been enamored by his daughter since the day of her birth, and Kya figured that out early. She knew that she had her father at her beck and call. But, most of the time, she just craved his attention. That was fine. "But do you really have to lower yourself to play _tea party_?" He asked.

"Yes, and I don't see it as lowering myself." Aang said shortly. "We wouldn't be having this conversation if she were born a boy and she wanted to play ball. Look, Sokka, I know that you were raised in a different culture from mine, but in my culture, we didn't know our parents. You get that, Sokka? I never knew my parents. There are days when I wish I could have known something about them, even just their names. I'm not going to be that sort of parent to my daughter. So, yes, I will play with her even if it means tea parties. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some imaginary cookies to eat." He said, walking back into the room.

"But Aang…" Sokka began, stalking after him, only to be stopped by his little niece before he entered the room.

Kya embraced her father's leg and smiled brightly up at him. "Daddy! You're back!"

"I am back, sweetheart." Aang said, putting the boa back around his neck and moving over to the little table.

Before Sokka could leave, Kya grabbed onto his pants leg. "Unca Sokka?" She called.

Every time Sokka looked at his niece, he was shocked at just how much she looked like Katara at that age. Really, the only clue that Aang was her father was her eyes. They were lighter than the average Water Tribe blue; they were instead an attractive blue-grey. "Yes, Kya?" He asked.

"Join us!" She said, smiling eternally and holding out an object for him to take. Sokka stared at the object in horror. It was a tiara. His eyes met Aang's, silently begging for help.

But the Avatar only laughed. "Yes, Unca Sokka, join us!" He said.

The Water Tribe warrior wondered, not for the first time, if he made the right choice when he gave Aang and Katara permission to marry.

* * *

Sometime later, Katara returned to her home with Aang from the market. She placed the bags on the kitchen's counter and went to check on her daughter and husband. It wasn't that she was worried about either of them. Aang was a fully-realized Avatar and she trusted him with their daughter completely. She just hadn't seen them since that morning and she was eager to see the two most important people in her life. The food could wait a little while longer.

She moved through the house, calling out. "Aang? Kya? Where are you?"

"In here, Mommy!" The voice of her little girl called from her room.

Katara smiled and opened the door, but she froze in the doorway and had to force herself to stop from laughing.

It was a scene that she was mostly familiar with, having joined in on many of Kya's tea parties. Her daughter sat at the head of the table, surrounded mostly by stuffed animals. She was smiling at her mother, a smile that she got directly from her father. And speaking of Aang, he was there as well. He was sitting in one of the small chairs with his knees up to his chest because his legs were much too long for the small table. But he never seemed to care. He sat there in his every day robes, with a pink feather boa around his neck, taking a fake sip from an empty tea cup.

But the thing that nearly had her laughing was what was located at the other end of the small table. It was her brother, with an expression on his face like he was praying for the earth spirit to open up the ground to swallow him. He did not have the honor of wearing a feather boa like Aang, so he had been designated to wear a tiara. It was hard to tell with their dark skin tone, but Katara knew that he was blushing.

"More tea, Unca Sokka?" Kya asked, holding up the little tea pot.

Sokka's face flushed even deeper as he turned to Kya and said "Yes, please" in a small voice.

Kya, oblivious to the embarrassment of her uncle, cheerfully 'refilled' his tea cup.

"Do you want to join our little tea party?" Aang asked brightly, with a mischievous grin on his face. Sokka was giving her his wide 'save me' eyes.

"Oh no. I have to put the food away. Don't let me interrupt your game." She stepped out of the room, getting one last good look at the expression of shock and betrayal on her brother's face before she stepped out. As she walked down the hallway, she finally began to laugh out loud, unable to control the mirth inside her anymore.

* * *

**LES: I tell you, the idea of this tea party has been eating at me FOREVER! And, well, because of that, it seemed like the perfect thing to use to kick off this one-shot series.**


	2. Kya's Bending Discovered

**Chapter II: Kya's Bending Discovered**

* * *

"Aang!" Katara called as she walked through the new Air Temple on Air Temple Island, in search of her elusive husband. Really, it was days like this, when both her husband and her daughter were missing that she wished that she'd gotten to know the ends and outs of the island better. Her husband knew the whole island very well, and Kya knew it like the back of her hand. This made her nearly impossible to find during games of hide-and-seek.

But this was no game. Katara hadn't heard from her husband or daughter all morning, and was starting to grow concerned. The island was about as safe as any place could be, but that didn't mean that there were no dangers present.

Scenario after horrible scenario went through Katara's mind: her young daughter falling off a cliff, drowning in the ocean, or being attacked by one of the animals on the island… and other options too horrifying to think about.

"Aang! Where are you?" Katara called, making her way down the main walkway of the Temple and down towards the beach and the docks. She was about to call again when a burst of fire shot into the sky from the direction of the beach, causing Katara to freeze in her tracks.

That fire could have only come from one of two sources: Zuko, who was currently busy in the Fire Nation, or her husband. Knowing that it was the later, she began to hurry down to the beach.

When she got there, she came upon a rather endearing sight. Her husband was shirtless, with his pants rolled up to his knees, and he was splashing lightly in the shallow water of the beach with his daughter.

Still, she was concerned with her daughter being in the ocean, even if she did seem to be content with the shallows for the moment. She picked up her pace. "Aang, are you sure it's okay for her to be playing in the water like that?" Despite the fact that Katara was a Waterbender, she hadn't done much swimming during her childhood. Growing up in the South Pole made swimming down-right deadly. The only swimming that she had learned as a child was enough to be able to get out of the water if she fell in. It wasn't until she started her journey with Aang that she started spending more time in water. She honestly wasn't sure if a three-year old would be able to handle herself in the water.

"She's fine, Katara. A regular little fish, just like her mother!" Aang smiled at his wife.

"Yeah, Momma, I'm a fishie!" Kya laughed, splashing the water at her father, who laughed happily.

"Besides, I won't let anything happen to her. You know that, right, Katara?" Aang gazed at his wife.

Katara sighed. "Yes, I know that, Aang. I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Aang said playfully. "You may have your motherly instincts, but I have my fatherly instincts, and they say she'll be just fine." He gently splashed her back, using subtle Waterbending to make sure that none of it hit his daughter's face. She shrieked at the assault and gave her father a bigger splash in return. It was still barely enough to faze him.

Katara knelt down by the water's edge, Bending a stream of water into loops and spirals with an absentminded movement of her wrist. "She's a confusing one, isn't she?" Katara mused out loud.

"What was that?" Aang asked, returning Kya's little splash attack in kind. Once again, he took extra care not to get any in her face. Instead of returning the attack back at Aang, Kya apparently decided that retreat was the better option. She got to her feet and waded away from her parents a few feet, but still close enough that they could leap to her assistance if she needed it.

"Kya." Katara said. "Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out which element is dominant in her. She _looks_ Water Tribe, but she acts Air Nomad most of the time."

"She's both." Aang said. "That's just how she is."

"But I'm starting to wonder if maybe I was wrong to say that she would be a Waterbender when she was born." Katara mused.

"Well, that's what you get for making assumptions so early." Aang said sagely.

"Says the man who started planning Airbending lessons from the moment he found out his wife was pregnant." Katara commented with a smirk.

"It doesn't hurt to dream." Aang shrugged. "But, seriously, Katara… it doesn't matter what sort of Bender she is… Airbender, Waterbender, or non-Bender. I'll love her just the same, and I know that you will too."

Neither one of them noticed as the small waves lapping at the shore began to get slightly bigger and more frequent and irregular.

"So, you would be excited if Kya turned out to be an Airbender?" Katara asked.

"Of course I'd be excited." Aang said. "But I wouldn't be any less excited if she turned out to be a different sort of Bender."

"But the chance to bring your people back…" Katara began.

"Katara, we talked about this before we got married. If the spirits want the Airbenders to come back, they will give us an Airbending child. If they don't want the Airbenders to return to the world, then they won't. No amount of wishing can force it, so I'm not going to try. What will happen… will happen." Aang said.

Katara smiled at her husband. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Every day." Aang answered with a smile. "But that doesn't mean that I don't love hearing it every time you say it."

She shuffled into the water towards her husband. "Well, I do. I love you so much." She whispered. They were about to kiss when their daughter's voice interrupted them.

"Dada! Momma! No oogie!" She protested. Aang and Katara pulled apart and looked towards their daughter just in time to see a large wave bearing down on them. Both shocked beyond measure, neither of them thought to take action and the water crashed down on both of them.

It was not a huge wave, but it completely soaked them, and knocked them both on their backs in the water. They sat up, breaking the surface. All at once, Katara began to panic, grabbing her husband's shoulders. "Aang! Kya!" Aang was thinking the same thing as his wife. What if their daughter got caught in that wave? His grey eyes shot around towards where their daughter was, only to find that she was perfectly safe, almost completely dry, and laughing at her parents.

"Splash!" Kya laughed, splashing some more water at her parents, only instead of a little splash like the ones she had thrown at Aang earlier, she created another wave like the one that had crashed down on Aang and Katara. Aang was better prepared for it this time, so he Bent the water away before it crashed down on them.

He felt it, as he was Bending the water away, he could feel the counter-pressure of another person's Bending. When two Benders tried to make the same substance do different things, Bending turned into a battle of wills. Aang could feel someone else's will on the water, but it was undisciplined and light, the shaky control of an untrained child.

Because the control was undisciplined, Aang was able to easily redirect the water away from him and Katara, but both parents stared at their daughter in shock as she laughed, repeating the word "Splash!" over and over.

"Did she just do what I think she did?" Katara asked, her voice barely above a whisper as if talking any louder would ruin the moment.

"I think she did!" Aang replied, just as quietly. He quickly pushed himself to his feet and hurried over to the little girl, scooping her up in his arms. "Did you make that splash, sweetheart?" He asked.

"Splash!" Kya smiled happily.

"Oh, Kya… my precious little Waterbender!" Aang said, giving his daughter a kiss on the top of her head.

"Excuse me!" Katara interrupted loudly.

"Of course, Katara, you will always be my first precious Waterbender…" Aang began to placate his wife.

"That's not what I meant Aang." Katara said, grinning at him and holding out her hand with an expectant look on her face.

Aang stared at her hand, and then met her eyes. With a sigh, he readjusted his hold on Kya so that he could hold her with a single arm and reached into the pocket of his pants. He pulled out several silver pieces and handed them over to his wife.

"I guess you don't regret making your bet on her being a Waterbender now?" Aang asked.

"And I bet that you regret betting against a mother when her child is involved." Katara laughed.

"Ha-ha." Aang laughed flatly. "You'll be the one paying me when the next one is an Airbender!"

* * *

**LES: For the record, both Aang and Katara will guess Bumi's Bending status wrong (both of them bet on him being a Waterbender). But they will both guess that Tenzin is an Airbender. So Aang never did get Katara back for winning that first bet.**


	3. The Avatar's Lullaby

**LES: This was not the original third chapter. It was supposed to be something else. But then I had an epiphany and I knew that I just had to write this. Have I mentioned all ready that these are not in chronological order? This story takes place when Kya is one month old.**

**Chapter III: The Avatar's Lullaby**

* * *

It was a situation that had grown all too common in the month since the birth of Aang and Katara's first child: a daughter they named Kya in honor of Katara's deceased mother: the still quite of the midnight being broken by the sound of a baby crying out for her parents.

Aang was up quickly. He had learned how to go without a regular sleeping schedule since the end of the war, and especially after getting married, so he had an easier time adjusting to Kya's backwards sleeping habits. He couldn't blame his wife, though. She was still recovering physically and mentally from childbirth.

The young Avatar pushed himself up on his hands, gazing blindly around the room as he forced himself to wakefulness. His wife, Katara, stirred beside him. "Aang…?" She breathed without opening her eyes. "The baby…"

"I can hear her." Aang whispered, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "Go back to sleep, Katara."

"You're a god." Katara sighed happily as she settled back down on the bed and let sleep take her once again.

Aang smiled at her fondly as he brushed some of her chocolate-colored hair out of her face. And then he remembered that he had a daughter to take care of. He pushed himself out of bed and began to walk down the hallway with light, unheard footsteps towards the small room right next to theirs, where their daughter slept, or more often… didn't sleep.

He moved silently over towards her cradle and peered down at the tiny girl… _his _tiny girl. Her face was red and scrunched up, and her fists were shaking with the force of her cries. She was obviously in desperate need of something.

Aang mentally ran down the list of things that she cried from, from most important to least important. Was she hurt or sick? No. Both Aang and Katara had been near-obsessive with keeping Kya safe from injury or sickness. Was she hungry? No. Katara had been up only an hour before to feed her. She couldn't be hungry yet. Had she messed her diaper? No. Katara had taken care of that as well when she'd fed her.

So that left the last thing. She just wanted attention. It was something that Aang was more than willing to provide. He reached down and gently picked her up, holding the crying baby girl to his chest as his body began to sway automatically in response to holding a baby.

"Shh. Daddy's here. Daddy's got you now." Aang whispered to her, closing his eyes and immersing himself in her presence.

Before Kya's birth, he had never believed that it would be possible for him to love someone as much as he loved Katara, but Kya's birth had proven him wonderfully wrong. He had cried the first time he held her, because he couldn't believe the feelings that the tiny girl created in him. She was his child, a piece of him and Katara, and every bit as beautiful as her mother: mocha skin, chocolate hair, blue-grey eyes, and a scent like a summer breeze off the ocean waves.

Kya's cries quieted as Aang held her. She still whimpered fitfully, but she was calming down.

Aang continued to sway, his eyes closed, and totally submerged in the presence of his daughter so that he was almost in a trance-like state. He didn't even hear the fact that he was starting to hum a tune to a song that he'd certainly never heard before.

Katara was drawn towards the sound of the humming. It wasn't a tune that she had heard before, but it was beautiful. She stopped in the doorway, staring in shock at the sight in front of her.

Aang stood in the center of the room, swaying and humming as he held his whimpering daughter against his chest. His eyes were closed, but his tattoos were glowing, signaling that he was in the Avatar State.

If he had been the same Aang that could not control the Avatar State, Katara would have been terrified for her daughter. But Aang was not that boy anymore. Ever since he had gained control of the Avatar State, it had become far less violent. He had succeeded in making his personality the dominant one and was now capable of great love as well as great strength. It helped to remember that many other Avatars had been parents and none of them would do anything to hurt the current Avatar's child.

She was very familiar with the love that the Avatar State possessed. It was very rare, but he would occasionally enter the Avatar State while they were making love. This was no different from any other time besides the fact that he would sometimes call her a different name. The ones that she heard most often were Umma and Ta Min, Avatar Kuruk's and Avatar Roku's loves, respectfully.

The Avatar State could hate. It could hate with the bitterness of a thousand lifetimes. But it could love with the tenderness of a thousand lifetimes as well. It was easy to imagine all the past Avatars who had been fathers or mothers reaching out through Aang to help him calm his daughter.

Katara's attention was drawn back to the scene rather than her thoughts when she heard Aang's humming change. He was beginning to sing, but it was not in any language that she had ever heard. As she listened to the unfamiliar words fall from his lips, she began to realize that he was speaking in a language that no mortal could possibly have created.

The words themselves carried no meaning for her, but they seemed to reach inside her. The words were actually invoking feelings within her: feelings of love, comfort, and security as if they opened up the door to the very core of her soul.

It was then that Katara realized two things: the first was that it was some sort of spirit language that Aang was speaking for it to affect her so, and the second was that the song was a lullaby.

The near-magical effect of Aang's lullaby had Kya quieting down and drifting back off to sleep in record time. Still, the song continued for a few more verses before the melody died away. Aang was still swaying softly as the glow in his tattoos faded and he returned to himself.

His swaying came to a slow stop when he realized that Kya was no longer crying. "Whoa… I must've dozed off for a moment there." He whispered to himself, moving back over to the crib and laying his sleeping daughter down.

He turned to head towards the door, but froze when he saw Katara standing there. "Katara? What are you doing up?" He asked.

"I was just checking to make sure that everything was all right." Katara whispered. "But I guess I didn't have to. You had everything under control."

"I suppose." Aang replied. "I don't really remember doing anything to make her sleep."

Katara leaned up and kissed him softly. Aang sighed softly as he returned her kiss. They slowly broke apart and Katara caressed his cheek. "Being with you is enough. You know, Aang, I wouldn't want anyone else to father my children, right?"

"I'm glad that you choose me." Aang whispered.

"I'm glad too." Katara whispered. "Now, come back to bed. We both might as well get some sleep before she wakes up again."

"Of course." Aang whispered, joining Katara as they headed back towards bed.

Kya slept for the rest of the night.

* * *

**LES: Well, this one was a bit more serious and spiritual than the others. But I still had to write it. Don't worry; the next one will be silly. It's going to be called "Tea Party Gone Wrong". You'll just have to wait and see what that one's about. LOL**


	4. Tea Party Gone Wrong

**LES: Well, here's the next chapter! In case you didn't know, I spent all last week absorbed in Kataang Week. I had a lot of fun, but churning out those one shots really left no other time for writing. And then I took a break from all writing, and now I'm back to this story. I know that it's been a while since I teased this chapter, but here it is now! Enjoy!**

**Chapter IV: Tea Party Gone Wrong**

* * *

It was a quiet day that found Avatar Aang sitting at a large desk in his private office pouring over his work. It wasn't like he wanted to be there. It was just an unfortunate duty of being both the Avatar and the leader and teacher of the Air Acolytes. Endless, mind-numbing amounts of paper work. It was so annoying that he had active fantasies of Airbending a breeze to blow all the paperwork out the window and into the bay.

The controlled strokes of his brush as he wrote a reply to Firelord Zuko about the state of Republic City paused when he heard the heavenly sound of his young daughter playing outside.

They had only just discovered that she was a Waterbender a few weeks ago, and Katara had all ready started teaching their little girl the simplest of moves, Waterbending games, really.

Aang understood her joy. He would feel the same exact way if Kya had turned out to be an Airbender. Katara never said it, but Aang knew that she was just about as eager to have another Waterbender of Southern blood born as he was to have an Airbender. Katara had been the only Waterbender born to the Southern Tribe in nearly sixty years. And, even though the population of Southern Waterbenders was slowly returning thanks to the immigration and mixed marriages between the Northern and Southern tribe, Aang knew that Katara was glad to not let her tribe down.

He tried to block out the sound of his daughter's laughter and focus on the task at hand. It was harder than it looked to do so.

Several minutes passed, and Aang was nearly on the edge of giving up the paperwork as a bad job and going to join his daughter when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Aang replied to the knock, and smiled when the door opened and Katara stepped in.

"Aang…" Katara smiled, walking over to her husband and giving him a short kiss. "I have to make a quick trip to the market. We're missing some things that I need for the dinner I had planned tonight."

"Okay."

"I'm taking Appa. It will be quicker that way." Katara finished.

"That's fine, Katara." He stood up and gave her a proper kiss. He pulled away, gazing into her eyes, and brushed a strand of her hair back to tuck it behind her ear. "Be safe."

"I'm always safe." Katara said with a laugh. "I'll be back soon. I told Kya to stay inside the house. Mind her for me, will you."

Aang smiled. "Thanks to Toph, my feet know all. She'll be safe."

"Thanks." Katara turned and left.

Using the seismic sense that he learned from his Earthbending teacher, Toph, Aang watched as Katara left the house, and he also was able to pin-point Kya's location. She was inside the house, just like Katara wanted, playing with her tea set on the sitting room floor.

Aang smiled to himself. If only Iroh knew how much use that tea set was getting. He turned his attention back to Zuko's letter, wondering if he should add a post script to Iroh thanking him once again for the tea set. He decided that he would and got back to writing.

He was so focused on his work for several minutes that he lost most contact with Kya. He knew that she hadn't left the house, but he wasn't keeping a very close watch on her. She was inside and all right, and not getting into trouble, and that's what mattered.

* * *

Aang was just about to start a letter to the Earth King when the door was pushed open, and Kya peeked in. She was not surprised to find her Daddy at his desk, because he was there a lot, almost all the time to her toddler mind. She was not old enough to realize that Aang, in reality, spent a majority of his time with her. She just knew when her Daddy was there, and when he was not, and that the times he wasn't there seemed to last forever.

She stepped into the room. "Daddy?"

Aang glanced up from his work, smiling. "Hey, sweetheart." He stood up, walked briskly over to his daughter, and scooped her up into his arms. "What is it?"

"Wanna play now." Kya said, burying herself into his chest.

"Oh, Kya… I'm so sorry, but Daddy can't play right now. He's got a lot of important work to do."

"But I wanna play." Kya insisted.

"I know, sweetie. And if Daddy had his way, he would play with you all the time." Aang told her. "Daddy's a very important man, and a lot of people depend on him. I'll be done in an hour. I'll play with you then."

"How long is an hour?" Kya asked.

"Just go play, Kya, and it will pass before you know it." Aang said, setting her down. Kya gazed at him sadly for a few more moments before she stepped out of the room. Aang sighed. He felt terrible for sending his daughter away like that, but he really had to concentrate on his work right now. He had all ready gotten some complaints about the delay in his responses after Kya was born. He'd been too fascinated by his new daughter to do his job and got criticized for it. He couldn't let that happen too often.

* * *

He was able to finish one more letter before the door opened again and Kya stepped in, holding one of her little toy tea cups. Aang glanced up when she entered. "Kya…" He began.

"If you can't come and play with me, I'm gonna bring you this." She moved over towards him as swiftly as she could and handed him the tea cup. Aang glanced down. It was filled with plain water. "I made it myself." She said proudly.

"That's really sweet of you, Kya." Aang said, accepting the cup. It was no different from their regular tea parties, except that she had water now instead of just pretend tea. He drank the water. "Mmm! It's delicious, Kya! The best tea I've ever had!" Aang praised.

Kya smiled as she took the cup back from her father. Now she had a hop in her step as she shot out the door.

Several more times she returned with a cup filled with water, and Aang kept on playing along with Kya, drinking every cup that she brought him while praising her for her tea making abilities.

* * *

Aang felt when Katara returned. She made a quick stop by the kitchen to set down her purchases and then made a bee-line for Aang's office. She pushed open the door, smiling. "I'm back, Aang." She moved closer to give him a kiss.

Aang stopped her before she made contact. "Just wait a few moments, Katara. This will be the cutest thing you've ever seen!"

Katara stopped and waited. Sure enough, like clockwork, Kya rushed back into the room. She smiled when she saw her mother was back. "Momma!" She moved over and embraced her mother's legs, and then she turned her attention to Aang. He offered her little water-filled cup. "I made some more for you, Daddy."

"Thanks, Kya." Aang said, accepting the tea and drinking it. "You definitely take after your great-uncle Iroh!"

Kya laughed with happiness and then left the room again.

Katara watched the whole episode, and then she turned to Aang. "Aang? Was there water in that cup?"

"Yes." Aang said. "Isn't it cute? I guess the days of imaginary drinks are over."

Katara stared at him, a little shocked, and suddenly very glad that she hadn't kissed him. In fact, she made a mental note not to kiss him for the next week or so. "Aang… sweetie…?" She began.

Aang laughed. "You haven't called me 'sweetie' in years. What's the occasion?"

"Nothing, but… you _do_ realize that Kya just barely discovered her Waterbending abilities. She doesn't have a lot of control over her abilities. She can make splashes, but that's about it."

"Yes, of course I know that." Aang said.

"And she hasn't left the house at all?"

"I'm positive." Aang said.

"Well, then, sweetie, did it occur to you that there is only one source of water in the house that she is big enough to reach?" Katara began leadingly.

At first, Aang didn't understand. He stared at Katara, confused. And then he realized… Kya was not big enough to reach the washing basin or the sink on her own. And she didn't have the Waterbending ability to stream the water out of the pipes like Katara could. That meant the only source of water in the house that Kya could reach was… was…

_The toilet_.

Aang suddenly felt sick. Had he really just consumed half a dozen cups of toilet water? Katara knew that he came to the same conclusion as her when he started to go green.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Aang moaned.

Katara took pity on the poor man and was at his side to help him up. "Well, better take you outside then. The fresh air should do you good, and if you want to… you know… just do it." She let his arm drape across her shoulder as she began to lead him outside to purge himself, if needed.

On their way out, Kya stopped in the hallway, holding another cup of toilet water, staring innocently at her sick father. "Is something wrong with Daddy?" She asked.

"Just too much tea, Kya." Katara said, quickening her and Aang's pace as he started to retch. "He'll be fine in a minute." She rushed her husband outside. They barely made it in time before Aang was emptying his stomach in the bushes.

Kya stared from the doorway, her face twisted in disgust. "Eww!"

* * *

**LES: This story was based on a story that came to me, chain-letter-ish, via E-mail years ago; about a father who was unwittingly fed toilet water by his daughter just wanting to play tea-party. Poor Aang. At least the experience will give Katara an embarrassing story to tell about her husband and daughter when they get older. Can't you see it?**

**Katara: One time, when Kya was three years old…**

**Kya: Oh, Mom, not the tea story **_**again!**_

**Aang: I agree, don't tell that story again!**

**Katara: But it was so funny!**


	5. Big Sister

**Chapter V: Big Sister**

* * *

In the early morning hours, Aang moved swiftly and silently through the quiet house until he came to the doorway that led to the Master Bedroom, the one that he shared with his gorgeous wife.

He paused, making sure that the tray that he carried was balanced well on a single hand before he opened the door, gazing inside.

His beautiful wife was asleep, just as he expected. And, for that, he was grateful. He stepped inside, shut the door, and moved over to her side. He leaned down and brushed a kiss to her forehead. "Katara…" He whispered, and she stirred in her sleep, slowly rousing under the gentle insistence of her husband.

She turned onto her back, smiling at him. "Good morning, Aang…" She said, stretching and yawning. "What's the occasion?"

"Just spoiling the best wife in the world." Aang said, producing a tray filled with a light breakfast of fruit.

Katara smiled at him. "You know, you wouldn't have gotten away with this last time."

"I know." Aang commented. "But all the better to take advantage of it now that you're not feeling sick all the time." His eyes drifted down to her middle as she sat up in bed. No one else would be able to notice the change in her figure, but Aang knew Katara's body like he knew his own. He could see the slight rounding of her stomach that signaled that she was a scant few months pregnant with their second child.

Unlike Katara's first pregnancy with Kya, which had been about as bad as pregnancies could get without going into the realm of being unhealthy; this second pregnancy was going remarkably well. She wasn't getting morning sickness, she wasn't having bad reactions to foods, and she'd only had a little bit of fatigue. If Aang had tried bringing her breakfast in bed while she was pregnant with Kya, she would have screamed at him to get the food away from her under threat of castration and rushed away to vomit. This time, the food smelled so delicious and set her mouth watering.

Katara gazed at the selection, noting that he had brought her all of her favorites. "You're offerings are adequate." She said, smiling to show that she was joking.

"I'm glad they please you, my lady." Aang replied with good humor. He picked up a piece of fruit and started to hand feed her. If it were any other man, Katara would have insisted that she could feed herself, but with Aang, it was just romantic. Aang was a naturally kind and gentle person, and when she was pregnant, he down-right spoiled her.

She ate her fill, a bit more than usual considering that she was eating for two now, and gave her husband a loving kiss. He returned the gesture, loving every moment when her lips were against his.

Aang pulled away, his hand caressing the slight bump on her midsection. "So… when do we tell Kya the good news?" Aang asked.

"Very soon. Maybe even today." Katara said, her fingers meeting Aang's over her abdomen. "She's bound to notice something soon and make some sort of comment. We can't have another… Toph incident."

Aang winced. When they had found out they were pregnant with Kya, they had been over the moon about it, but they still wanted to keep the news to themselves for just a little while. But all their plans for secrecy had gone up in smoke when they attended the formal dinner celebrating the founding of the United Republic.

Toph had just barely found them when she had suddenly loudly congratulated Aang for 'knocking up Katara'. What had followed was a very uneasy silence before they were ambushed by reporters and were forced to confirm the news. At least they had trusted that Toph had learned her lesson and wouldn't go blabbing her mouth again. But all it would take was one comment from Kya asking why her mother was getting fat, and everyone would know.

"Sokka is still complaining about how we told the newspapers before him." Aang sighed. "But… today, Katara? What if she asks…?" Aang trailed off.

"Asks what?"

"You know… where babies come from." Aang whispered. It was a dreaded milestone for any parent.

"We tell her the truth. A kiddie version of the truth, but still the truth. That's how it's done in the Water Tribes." Katara said easily. "How was that handled among the Air Nomads and the monks?"

"Oh… if we were old enough, we were told the truth. But if the Monks felt you were too young to know the truth… they'd tell you a fanciful tale about a Sky Bison spirit that delivers babies to loving couples as a reward for their devotion towards each other."

Katara smiled and giggled at the thought of all the Air Nomad children who thought that babies were delivered by a Sky Bison spirit. "And were you ever fed that little story?"

Aang blushed. "Yes. But I was about seven when I asked!"

"We tell our children that Mommies and Daddies love each other very much, and that they sometimes lay down together and make a baby together." Katara said.

"Well… I guess that doesn't sound so bad." Aang said. "But, Katara… only _sometimes_?"

Katara hit him with her pillow. "You're insufferable, you know that?"

"But you still love me?"

"Of course I do, you silly man." Katara kissed him. "So… we're telling Kya today?"

"I suppose we must." Aang said. "Do you think she'll be excited to be a big sister?"

"It's hard to say. She can be, or she can be like Sokka. Apparently, he sulked for days when he found out that he was going to be a big brother."

"I can imagine him doing that." Aang said with a smile.

Katara smiled back at him. "There are days when I think she still would have preferred to have a pet polar bear-dog than a baby sister."

"Are you kidding me?" Aang asked. "Have you seen the way he spoils Kya rotten? If he didn't have you for a sister, he never would have gotten his niece."

Katara had to admit that he was right. "And he'll probably go just as crazy for this one." She gripped his hand against her abdomen. "Especially if it turns out to be a boy this time. He's never really forgiven us for having a girl first."

Aang nuzzled his nose against hers. "You know that's not true. He's crazy about Kya. I mean, sure, he has his heart dead-set on a hunting trip with a nephew, but…" Aang trailed off. "Wait…" He pressed his hand up to the stone wall above their headboard. Katara fell quiet, knowing that he was feeling the vibrations of the house. A few seconds later, he removed his hand and pointed at the closed door and then held up three fingers in a silent countdown.

Three… two… one…

Right on cue, the door burst open, revealing their five year old daughter. "Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!" She yelled, running and taking a flying leap onto the bed. Before she could land on her mother's lap, Aang scooped his rambunctious daughter right out of the air and curled her against his chest. Kya didn't mean to, but Aang didn't exactly want her jumping on her mother at the moment. It had happened almost daily since Aang and Katara had discovered their new pregnancy. Kya didn't realize that Aang stopped her from jumping on her mother to stop her from accidentally hurting the growing baby; she just thought it was a fun game.

Aang played off his worries like it was a game, crushing his daughter to his chest and kissing her forehead.

Kya responded with a squeal, "Daddy! Your beard tickles!" She pushed him away.

"Aw, but sweetheart, you know how much Daddy loves you!" Aang replied.

"I love you too, Daddy." Kya said, finally allowing her father to kiss her forehead without a fight.

Katara watched her husband and daughter, her heart melting at the sight. She reached over, running her fingers through her daughter's bed head. Kya turned, smiling brightly at her mother. Katara smiled in return. Kya looked so much like her, but her smile was most definitely Aang's.

"Kya, your father and I have some very exciting news for you." Katara began.

Kya crawled off Aang's lap, settling herself between her parents. "Yes, Mommy?"

Katara exchanged glances with her husband, who nodded at her. She smiled back at her daughter. "Well, something very exciting is going to be happening in a few months."

"More Bending lessons?" Kya asked.

"No, even more exciting then Bending." Katara smiled.

"Are we going to the South Pole to visit grandpa?" Kya asked.

"No, we're not going to visit grandpa." Katara said. The girl had only been to the Southern Water Tribe a handful of times, but she loved it there. "Even more exciting."

Kya thought for a few moments. "I give up."

"Okay." Katara said. "Mommy and Daddy are going to be having a new baby." Kya's mouth dropped open. "You're going to be a big sister in a few months."

To Aang and Katara's shock, her reaction was not what either of them expected. Aang had expected her to be excited, and Katara had expected her to get grumpy. Instead, Kya burst into tears.

"Kya, what's wrong?" Both Aang and Katara asked in unison.

"I don't wanna new baby!" Kya cried.

* * *

Kya had gone to her room in tears, leaving both Aang and Katara highly confused and shocked. They both knew that it was going to be a change and a challenge, but they never expected Kya to be so against the idea of having a brother or sister.

Aang wanted to ditch the meetings in Republic City that were scheduled for that day, but he also knew that he couldn't. It wasn't like your average meetings were nothing was talked about or done. They would be nominating people to be a member of the United Republic Council, and he absolutely could not miss it.

Katara knew that he didn't want to leave with his daughter in such distress, so she met him at the door and pulled him into a kiss. "You go and take care of things at the meeting. I'll take care of things here."

"Are you sure?" Aang asked.

"I'm sure. I'll talk to Kya." Katara said, kissing him again and sending him on his way. Aang slowly made his way over to Appa, mounted the great Sky Bison, and Appa took to the air headed across the bay towards the city.

Katara sighed and turned to walk back into the house. She made her way to Kya's room. She leaned her ear against the door. She couldn't hear her crying anymore, so Katara assumed that it was all right for her to enter. "Kya?" She called, opening the door just a few inches.

Kya was lying stretched out on her bed, with her face buried in the pillows. Katara walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. "Kya, are you really that upset that we're having another baby?" She asked, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder.

Kya nodded mutely against the pillows.

"Why, sweetie?" Katara asked.

Kya finally turned over so that she could see her mother. Her eyes were red from crying. "I like things the way they are now." She said. "I don't wanna have to share you with a baby."

Katara sighed. "Oh, Kya."

"I don't… I don't want you and Daddy to love me less."

"Where would you get an idea like that?" Katara asked.

"Miki… her parents just had a new baby." Katara nodded. She knew Miki, one of Kya's best friends here on the island. Her parents were Air Acolytes, and just had a baby about six months ago. "Now they don't spend any time with her because they are always with the baby. I don't wanna be forgotten."

"Oh, Kya… come here…" Katara said, opening her arms and allowing her daughter to fall into her embrace. Kya accepted the invitation, squeezing her mother tightly. "Your Daddy and I will not love you less because of the new baby. No parent feels that way."

"But Miki…"

"It's just the way babies are, sweetheart. They are very small, and they cannot take care of themselves. Parents spend a lot of time with new babies because babies need their parents to do things for them."

"Babies can't… get their own food?" Kya asked.

"No, they can't." Katara answered.

"Really?"

"Really." Katara said. "You were the same way when you were a baby, you know. Your father and I barely got any sleep after you were born because you took up so much of our time and attention. So, Kya, I know that it will seem like your father and I have forgotten about you after the new baby is born, but we haven't. We still love you, and we will always love you, no matter how much time and attention the new baby needs."

Kya finally seemed to calm down a little. "When will the baby get here?" She asked.

"About seven months." Katara answered. "Here, feel." She scooted her daughter off her lap and let Kya feel the little bump on her midsection. "Do you feel how Mommy's tummy is a little bigger than normal?"

"Yeah." Kya said.

"That means that your little brother or sister is growing in there right now." Katara said.

"Are you gonna get really big like Miki's mommy?" Kya asked.

Katara smiled. "Yes, but not until the baby is ready to come out."

"Doesn't it hurt to have something growing in there like that?" Kya asked, confused.

"It's uncomfortable, sometimes… especially once the baby starts getting bigger. But, you know what… it's _completely_ worth it." Katara smiled at her daughter.

* * *

Aang stepped into his home wearily. He was a little shocked at himself for being so nervous about stepping into his own home. He hadn't been this nervous about coming home since he had those threats from assassins.

But, then again, an unhappy daughter could be far more terrifying than a hundred assassins.

He concentrated on the vibrations coming from the ground beneath his feet. He had expected to find his daughter still locked in her room as she had been when he left, and Katara perhaps working on dinner.

He was shocked, however, to find that both his wife and daughter were sitting on the bed in the master bedroom. Confused, Aang made his way there.

"Is it going to be a boy or a girl?" He heard Kya ask.

"We can't know yet, not until the baby arrives." He heard Katara answer.

Aang opened the door and froze when he saw Kya was in a position that he, himself, did nearly every day of Katara's pregnancy. She was laying her head down on Katara's lap with her ear pressed against the small bump of her midsection. It was much too soon in Katara's pregnancy for there to be movement, but Aang loved being that close to his unborn child. And to find Kya in that position was shocking.

Aang cleared his throat to get their attention. Both of his favorite girls smiled at him. "I suppose… everything's okay, then?" He asked.

Katara smiled, running her fingers through Kya's hair. "Everything's fine now."


	6. Father To Be

**LES: This story takes place when Katara was pregnant with Kya.**

**Chapter VI: Father to Be**

* * *

Aang opened the door as quietly as he could. He knew that he was getting back from the Council meeting late, and he didn't want to disturb his wife. She was five months pregnant with their first child, and often in a sour mood because of it.

He really couldn't blame her, though. From what he knew about pregnancy, Katara's was pretty tough. She was sick nearly all the time and that led her to snap at him for disturbing her rest. He shut the door as quietly as possible.

He tip-toed his way into the living room on his way to the master bedroom, but stopped when he came upon an unexpected sight in the living room. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring.

He had thought that Katara would be in bed by now. She had taken to going to sleep early since her pregnancy started showing. Aang had gotten back late from meetings many times to find her all ready asleep in their bed. Tonight was different. Katara had fallen asleep, but she was propped up on the couch's armrest. She had apparently tried to stay up waiting for him, but had fallen asleep on the couch.

Aang crept over to her. She didn't look comfortable at all, sleeping like that. But he still hesitated to touch her or move her. If she woke up in a bad mood, he'd be banished to this very couch. But, she would probably get upset at him in the morning if he let her sleep there and she woke up sore.

After a brief internal war, Aang decided that Katara's physical comfort was the most important thing. Being extremely careful to not wake her up, Aang bent down and slowly picked her up in his arms. He took extra care to not wake her up and to give ample room for her rounded abdomen. He held her close to him, taking a brief moment to just soak in her presence.

Using the same care that he'd exercised in picking her up, Aang made his way down the hallway to their master bedroom. He nudged the door open with his foot and maneuvered them both inside.

He walked over to Katara's usual side of the bed and carefully set her down on the soft mattress. He was just at the point of pulling the blanket over her body, and thinking that he just got away with moving her, when she began to stir in her sleep. Aang froze, worried that he was about to get in trouble for waking her up.

Katara shifted and stretched, and opened her eyes with a yawn. And then, to Aang's eternal happiness, she smiled upon seeing him. "Aang… you're back."

Now that he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be yelled at, Aang returned her smile, sitting down on the edge of the bed and running his fingers through her hair. It had been so long since she had allowed such a loving caress. "Of course I'm back." He whispered.

Katara slowly sat up, yawning. "I fell asleep on the couch, didn't I?" She asked.

Aang nodded. "You didn't seem very comfortable there, so I thought I'd move you. I hope you're not upset with me."

"I'm not. It was pretty uncomfortable." Katara returned his caress, which nearly drove the young man to tears of happiness. He ducked his head to hide the tears from his wife.

Katara, of course, noticed right away. "Aang? Aang, what's wrong?" She asked.

He smiled at her. "It's been a long time since you've been this affectionate with me."

In response, Katara shifted closer and pulled him into a kiss. Aang was initially shocked, but then returned her kiss fervently. For a while, no words were exchanged between them as they kissed to reaffirm their love. Finally, Katara pulled away from him. "I'm so sorry, Aang. It's just that this pregnancy has been really hard on me, and…"

Aang silenced her with a kiss. "You don't have to be sorry, Katara. I know that you haven't been feeling good since you got pregnant. I'm here for you, you know that, right?" He met her eyes.

"Yes, I know that." Katara whispered to him. They leaned in together, exchanging soft kisses, their lips lingering together as they reveled in the glory of their bond together. They moved closer together, their kisses deepening as Aang rested his hands on the swell of Katara's abdomen.

However, Aang quickly aborted the kiss when he felt something thump against his hand. He jerked away from Katara, shocked, staring down at her stomach.

Katara smiled, she knew that Aang had felt it too. She pulled the stunned young man into an embrace. "There was a reason that I was trying to wait up for you."

"Was that… the baby?" Aang asked, sounding shocked and pleased at the same time.

Katara smiled at him, and nodded. "It just started happening today. Our baby is growing strong."

"Katara…" He pulled her into another kiss, which she was only too happy to return. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever…" He met her eyes. "Lay back for a minute."

Katara shifted herself on the mattress so that she could lay back on the pillows. Once she was laying down, Aang scooted closer to her, and lifted up the fabric of the loose shirt that she had taken to wearing in recent months, exposing the skin of her abdomen. He ran his hand over the swell of her stomach, smiling as he felt another soft little thump against his hand.

Katara smiled contentedly as she watched his lazy exploration of her abdomen, and chuckled softly when he replaced his hands with his lips. He pressed tender kisses to her skin, an action that he had done many times before Katara became pregnant, but now carried a whole new meaning.

"I love you." Aang whispered, both to the child growing within Katara and to his wife.

"We love you too." Katara replied, smiling when his eyes met hers and he could see the passion that was growing there, a passion that had been absent for months from their marriage.

Aang knew that look well. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"I'm sure. I want you." Katara pushed him to lie on the bed next to her, and she took the position on top. It was more comfortable for her and less awkward for both of them this way.

Aang smiled playfully as she leaned down to kiss him. "You know I can't resist you."

For the first time in months, the house was filled with the playful laughter of two lovers reestablishing the physical bond between them.


	7. Like the Leaf

**Chapter VII: Like the Leaf**

* * *

The sun beat down on Aang as he put the last of the panels in place, giving the wooden board an experimental spin to make sure that it was set up correctly and would not bang into any of the other panels that were set up around it.

The young man took a step back, wiped the sweat off his forehead with his forearm, and gazed at his handy work, mentally comparing the set-up to his memories of such a training device used at the Southern Air Temple.

The wooden panels had been found among the ruins of the Eastern Air Temple, which seemed to be the least damaged temple from the Fire Nation attack. Aang had been shocked when they were discovered in a vault beneath the mountain, in just as fine condition as they had been a hundred years previously. The cured wood had held up remarkably in the circumstances.

And, very soon, they would be used again for their original purpose. For a while, they would only by used by the Air Acolytes as they learned the fundamentals of the Martial Arts that Airbenders used. But Aang still held out the hope that one day, his son or daughter would be using this training device to master the basics of Airbending.

"So…" A voice spoke behind him, and Aang turned around to see Katara walking up to him. In her arms, she held their infant son, Bumi, who had been named after Aang's recently deceased friend. Katara's pregnancy and childbirth with Bumi had been remarkably easy compared to her experience with Kya. She hadn't threatened Aang one time while in labor with Bumi… but that could just be because Aang had chosen to keep his daughter company during the birth. Katara had done just fine, and she was recovering with remarkable speed. She took a seat on a near-by bench, staring at the wooden panels in confusion. "What, exactly, is this thing supposed to do?"

"Why, Katara, this is a time-honored tool for training the most fundamental part of Airbending!" Aang said proudly, picking his tunic up off the ground where he had discarded it an hour before and using it to mop the sweat off his chest and neck.

"Avoid and evade?" Katara guessed.

"Close, but not quite." Aang replied. "You see, Katara, Airbenders don't work in a direct fashion like the other elements. The goal of this exercise is to make your way through the gates to the other side. Now, if I presented that exercise to Toph, what do you think she'd do?"

Katara laughed. "Well, knowing Toph like I do, she'd probably just slam her way through the gates to get to the other side."

"Or destroy the whole thing." Aang finished. "But Airbenders are not like that. Airbenders learn that when we are met with resistance, the best course of action is to flow around it instead of tearing through it. The novice Airbender needs to learn how to weave his or her way through the gates without touching them."

"That doesn't seem too hard." Katara commented. "I bet I could do it… if I were not recovering from childbirth, that is."

"Ahh, Katara, you didn't think it would be this simple, did you?" Aang asked rhetorically. He gave her a smile. "The panels are not set into their settings for a reason." He took a step away from the panels, sent a blast of air towards them, and set them all spinning. Katara stared in shock. "Still think you could do it?"

"Aang! There's no way anyone could possibly make it through that without getting hurt!" Katara gasped in shock.

"Well, you do get knocked around the first few times you try it, but it's not impossible… watch!" He calmly walked up to the first of the spinning panels and slipped in at the first opening.

"Aang!" Katara gasped.

But her husband had it all under control. He had done this drill a million times before, and applied it in actual combat, so weaving his way through the spinning gates was as natural and easy as breathing.

Katara watched, mesmerized as he maneuvered his way through the gates like it was nothing. There were a few close calls that had Katara gasping with worry, but he'd suddenly shift direction at the last moment and slip past the danger. As she watched him, she recognized his signature style of combat from the time when he was just an Airbender and before he learned and mastered the other elements.

Aang had flowed through combat, utterly untouched by its raging violence. He was at ease facing multiple opponents from all sides. He could dodge attacks like they were not a threat at all.

Within seconds, Aang had navigated the entire length of the spinning panels and emerged, unscathed, from the other side. He turned towards Katara and bowed, like a magician finishing off his act.

"Impressive. Very impressive." Katara said. "Just tell me that you are not going to make our children do that."

"Only the Airbenders, but not until they are ready." Aang said. He saw the look of worry in his wife's eyes. "Katara, you know that I would never bring any harm to our children, right? I will make sure that any child of mine that does this is fully prepared for it. I trust you with Kya's training, don't I?" He asked. Katara nodded. "Then trust me to train any Airbenders we may have."

"I'm sorry, Aang. I know that you only have our children's best interests at heart." Katara said.

"I would never do anything less for our children." He promised, pulling her into an embrace while being mindful of their infant son between them. They were both ignorant of the bright blue eyes watching them from the bushes.

Aang pulled away, and turned his attention back to his son. Sokka had been very excited to learn that he 'finally' had a nephew. Like Kya, Bumi took largely from his Water Tribe heritage, leaving both Aang and Katara to believe that he would become a Waterbender like Kya. "He looks so much like you, Katara."

"Don't be silly." Katara replied. "He has your eyes. Maybe your personality too. I've never known a baby who could smile and laugh as young as he can."

Aang laughed. "Let's hope he doesn't have my personality!"

"Maybe the next one will have my personality." Katara commented. "I have received the curse, you know."

"Curse? What curse?"

"Oh, you know… when a parent tells their child 'I hope you have a child just like you someday'. Both Sokka and I have received the curse."

"Now that's just silly!" Aang commented. "I never even knew my parents, so they couldn't have said anything like that to me, and yet I still ended up with Kya, who somehow ended up with the personality of an Air Nomad while being a Waterbender."

"I guess that's just what happens while you're mixed race." Katara shrugged.

"If you're feeling well enough… maybe we can go 'mix some races' right now." Aang offered suggestively.

Katara snorted. "Okay, that wasn't even a good line! That was terrible!"

"Aww, come on, I thought it was pretty clever!"

"You, sir, need lessons in cleverness." Katara shot back.

"Daddy! Mommy! Look what I can do!" A voice called from behind them. Aang and Katara turned around, their eyes going wide with shock.

"Kya!" They both yelled. Their little girl, who had apparently watched Aang on his trip through the spinning panels, had decided that she wanted to try it herself. Aang rushed over to stop her, but it was too late, she was all ready weaving her way through the panels. Aang longed to jump in after her, but it wasn't that simple. There was never a set path through the spinning panels. If he went in even one moment after her, the safe path for him would not be her path. And if he disrupted the flow of any of the panels, it could spell injury for any person inside. All he could do was stare in horror and pray to all the spirits for the safety of his daughter.

Kya mimicked Aang's movements as he had made his way through the spinning panels, sometimes stumbling, but never badly enough that it took her on an unsafe path through the panels. It took her a little longer than Aang to complete, but she somehow managed to make her way through the whole thing completely unscathed.

Her parents were waiting for her on the other side. Her daddy scooped her into a tight hug, pressing her hard against him as if he'd never let go. "Daddy, did ya see what I did?" She asked.

"Kya, why did you do that?" Aang demanded.

"It looked like fun." Kya answered after a moment when she realized that her father was upset at her. But he wasn't really upset, just worried sick.

"Kya, this is a device for training Airbenders, not Waterbenders. You could have gotten seriously hurt." Aang lectured.

"But, Daddy, I'm fine. I am half Air Nomad, aren't I?" She asked.

"You are, dear, you are." Katara said. "But you are not an Airbender. You're a Waterbender."

"Well, being an Airbender doesn't seem very different from being a Waterbender to me!" Kya said stubbornly. "Why can't I learn both?"

"Sweetheart, only the Avatar can learn more than one element." Katara explained patiently. It was something that she had explained a million times before. When Kya was young, she was fascinated by the fact that her father could Bend all four elements and became convinced that she could too.

"No, Mommy, I meant the fighting moves, like the Air Acolytes are going to learn." Kya corrected. "I don't know if I like fighting with Waterbending. It's more offensive than Daddy's Airbending, and he doesn't use it to hurt people!"

"Kya, I thought you loved Waterbending with Mommy." Aang said.

"I like practicing with her, and I really like learning how to heal. But I don't like fighting so much. So can I, can I, can I _please_ learn some Air Nomad fighting moves?"

Aang sighed. "Okay, but only if you promise to keep practicing your Waterbending. You have a wonderful talent, and it shouldn't be allowed to go to waste." Kya squealed in happiness and skipped off towards the Temple, leaving both Aang and Katara in shock. "Well, she's certainly very different from how you were learning Waterbending. I seem to remember a certain young woman that challenged a master to a duel because he wouldn't teach her combat Waterbending and insisted that she stick to healing."

Katara gave him a light smack across the shoulder. "I told you she had your personality!"

"She's just a child of peace!" Aang quickly said. "And if she wants to focus more on her healing abilities then combat Waterbending, then that's fine with me… as long as it's what she wants to do. We always said we wouldn't mind what sort of Benders we had."

"You're right." Katara said with a sigh. "Well, now there's this guy…" She gestured to the sleeping infant. "Doesn't he look like a little fighter to you?"

Aang smiled fondly at his wife. "Definitely."

* * *

**LES: According to The Word of God, Kya is basically a Waterbending hippie. She's really big into healing and her favorite song is Secret Tunnel. That makes it sound like she is pretty much Air Nomad in terms of personality. With this chapter, I wanted to show that even though she is a Waterbender, she is still half Air Nomad and is very interested in non-violence and defense/healing more than combat.**


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